That depends. Most people have either the Spulse rifle which is labeled as an M41-A, or the MatsuoCorp which is labelled as a M41A, so depending on the person their pulse rifle is most likely one of those.

As to mine, I don't have one, so it is impossible for my to know my Pulse Rifle.

But seriously now, you got me thinking and I'd like to bring up an interesting point. The M41-A is not a rifle, pulse or otherwise. It fires a handgun round in full-auto which qualifies it as a sub-machine gun (SMG) and not a rifle. As a real-life Thompson M1A1 SMG it fires a .45 caliber 'handgun' round. As an M41-A it fictitiously fires a 10mm caseless 'handgun' round.

Strangely, the M56 Smart Gun has been reported to fire at least two different forms of ammunition according to different sources. A very early source was quoted in a well-known magazine (possibly Starlog or Famous Monsters, I don't recall which exactly) that the M56 fired an energy pulse or plasma beam, as apposed to traditional rounds. Other much later sources mention the use of M250 10 x 28mm caseless rounds in the M56. Keep in mind the M41-A supposedly fires an M309 10 x 24mm caseless round -- a 'handgun' round. Only a 4mm difference in length mind you.

In reality, the M56 was based on either an MG42 (actual German WWII Machine Gun) or an M53 (postwar Yugoslavian version of the MG42). The MG42 fires an 8mm (7.92 x 57 mm) rifle caliber round, and the M53 was built to fire either the same 8mm round or the smaller .308 (7.62 x 51mm) caliber rifle round. Ironically, either of these would more accurately fit the "pulse rifle" name than the actual M41-A itself.

So what does this all mean? Well, the M41-A Pulse Rifle should actually be called an M41-A SMG whilst the M56 Smart Gun should be called either an M56 Smart Rifle, M56 Pulse Rifle, or M56 Smart Pulse Rifle.

I don't see where 10x24 is necessarily a handgun round. In this bright and starry future of the aliens universe, I can imagine that if they have a caseless weapon, the propellant is a lot more efficient. The USCM Tech Manual mentions a muzzle velocity of around 840 meters a second.

I don't think any handgun is going to generate that kind of velocity. At least any handgun round in the rough dimension of 10x24mm. A round that small, with that kind of velocity is incredible.

I think it can still be a "rifle" simply due to the power of the round being fired. A .45ACP is a low veloicty handgun round. A 10x24mm M309 seems more like a large caliber, high velocity rifle round to me.

Well yeah, "rifle" means the barrel has rifling in it. In a more general term, when speaking of ammunition, rifle calibers are bigger than handgun calibers in a sense.

A 30-06, or the .303 are considered rifle calibers. Both are about .30 caliber, or 7.62mm. Handgun calibers generally have a larger diameter, but less powder charge behind them. Rifle calibers have sufficient powder to generate high velocities, giving a rifle long range and accuracy. Handgun calibers are for short range, high controllibility work.

Wow, that was a really sloppy description, but it works I guess. All one really needs to know is always bring a rifle to a gunfight if you can instead of a handgun.

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